Page 8 of Laying it Bare on the Run

“Okay.”

“Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping.” Once again resisting grabbing her hand, I instead walked down the open hallway, passing my kitchen on the left and small living room on the right. “I’ll get you something to eat after you’ve showered.”

“The stench getting to you?” A third small smile curved her lips.

“No. Well maybe a little.” I gave her a teasing grin. “But I think you will be more comfortable once you’re cleaned up and in some comfortable clothes. You look about the same size as my sister and she left a bunch of things here. She lived with me for about six months while she was in between jobs. About a month ago, she got an accounting job in Bixby so we don’t get to see each other really often but she kept some things here in case she just drops in.”

“She won’t mind me staying in her old room or wearing her clothes?”

“No. She’d be thrilled to know she was helping someone out.” I pushed open the bedroom door, clicked on the light, and we stepped inside. “She took her bed but left her dresser and if I remember correctly a pretty good stash of clothes. I can blow up my air mattress and get some bedding together for you. Hope that’s okay? I know you were probably expecting a bed.”

Harper’s eyes grew watery as she studied me. “This is perfect. It will be soft and warm and clean. That’s a luxury for me.”

“Let me set out a towel and stuff for you.” Leaving her standing in the room, I rushed into the adjoining bathroom and gathered what she’d need to shower. When I came back out, she stood frozen in the same exact spot. “You’ll feel better after a shower. Take as long as you want. It would take a lot to run out my hot water.”

“I only have ten dollars left. I can give you that for allowing me to stay here. It’s not much. And definitely doesn’t even come close to covering the cost for one night.” A sorrow so deep washed over her features I could almost feel the enormity of it. That ten dollars meant more to her than ten thousand would to me.

“I invited you here. You’re my guest. So we don’t need to worry about that right now.” And I didn’t bother adding I wasn’t planning on shipping her out tomorrow or the next day. But I’d deal with that later. Things had to be handled very delicately. She could bolt at a moment’s notice. She was skittish and I had no idea what kind of things could send her into a panic and cause her to run.

I walked over to the window on the opposite wall from the dresser and pulled the emerald green colored curtains closed. “That way the sunlight won’t wake you. While you get showered, I’ll get your bed together. Then I’ll get us some food and then we can get some sleep. I made homemade chicken noodle soup I can reheat and I still have some rolls.”

“You cook?” Her surprise made me chuckle.

“Yes. I love to cook. I don’t always have a lot of time to do so but since it’s just me I cook once or twice a week and eat a lot of left overs.”

“Well, maybe I can – ” She shook her head. “I’m going to go shower now if that’s alright.” At my nod, she headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

While she showered, I hurried out to the entry to toss her shoes outside. Yeah, they were pretty ripe. If my sister’s didn’t fit her, I’d try to talk her into allowing me to buy her a new pair. Then I pumped air into the mattress and covered it with a set of flannel sheets. Even though it wasn’t the season for them, she had been cold and I thought she’d enjoy the warmth and added softness. Rummaging through the closet, I found the tan comforter my sister had left and sat that on top. And not for one moment while she was naked in the shower with water cascading along her skin did I picture that image. Not once.

After I set out a pajama pant set for her, I retreated to the kitchen to fix us some dinner.

About thirty minutes later, Harper strolled into the kitchen. Her cheeks were flushed an adorable pink and her hair hung in gorgeous loose waves. I had noticed she was beautiful earlier but now I could really take in her striking features. She had a pert little nose and high cheek bones on her adorable heart shaped face. She was a stunning girl. I caught a whiff of lavender and liked the scent on her skin. My sister’s outfit – a pair of gray lounge pants and a grey t-shirt – hung a little loosely on her but she didn’t look sickly. While she was on the run, she had probably lost some weight but I was sure after a few weeks of eating right she’d be back to her normal. And yes, I was getting ahead of myself but I was going to do everything in my power to convince her to stay. Convince her to trust me so I could help her and then hopefully . . .

“That smells really delicious.” She sat down on one of the stools at my bar and smiled at me, her stomach releasing an obnoxious growl. Her smiles were becoming more frequent and genuine. “I’m not even going to pretend to be embarrassed by that. We both know I haven’t eaten well in a very long time.”

Grinning to myself at her dignity, I slid a bowlful of soup toward her along with a glass of iced tea and the bag of rolls. “Dig in.” Grabbing my own bowl and glass, I sat down beside her, careful to keep some distance between us. Then I remembered something. “Do you want some aspirin for your headache? I completely forgot about that.”

“No. That’s okay. The warm shower helped a lot. It’s just a dull throb right now. But thank you.” After a few spoonfuls, she snatched a roll and took a bite. “This is really good. Thank you for feeding me too.”

“I enjoy the company.” And I did. She was starting to talk to me more and hopefully would share even more tomorrow. I didn’t want to push today. After she ate, she needed rest.

“I feel strange wearing your sister’s clothes. I don’t even know her.” A pensive look crossed her face. “Maybe someday I can thank her.” She took a sip of her tea.

I’d love for her to meet my sister, and not just someday. But we had some things to overcome first. Like getting her to trust me enough to stay longer than the night and let me help her. But we’d start to tackle that tomorrow. “Well, she’s twenty eight, four years younger than me. Her hair is more of a reddish brown but her eyes are hazel like mine. And her name is Kaylie.”

Harper cupped her chin in one of her palms and tapped her fingers along her cheek. “Hmm, I would have figured her name would have been Anelace or some other medieval weapon since you’re named Cannon.”

I playfully bumped my shoulder into hers. “They used cannons during the Civil War. And how do you know the names of medieval weapons? It’s not like you were carrying an assortment in your bag.”

She shrugged. “I used to read a lot.” Her thoughts turned inward again so we finished eating in silence. “Can I get a glass of water and another bowl of soup?” Her cheeks pinkened slightly. “I’m not really sure why I’m blushing. We both are well aware of the score here.”

“Why? You haven’t eaten well in a long time. I’m always starved if I forget to grab lunch during a busy shift. I’m sure you’ve gone even longer. You can’t help your situation. So don’t think anything of it. I’m not.” I gave her a warm smile.

We sat in silence as she finished eating and drank down the last of her water.

“I know you’re tired and I’m pretty beat myself after working eight long days in a row. Are you ready to call it a night?” I was careful not to say head to bed because while it was so wrong of me, I couldn’t help wanting to snuggle her into my own bed with me tonight.

“Yeah, curling up with something other than my back pack sounds like heaven.” She rose from her stool and circled the bar to rinse her dishes and then placed them in the sink.

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